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Radical Islamism in Azerbaijan

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Radical Islamism in Azerbaijan is raising stronghold of religious extremism across the country as a result of continued problems like corruption, poverty, and semi-authoritarian government combined with disillusionment with the West and support of religious sects from different countries.

Wahhabists

Today Wahhabi congregation, particularly the radical part of Salafists, are considered one of the dangerous radical Islamic groups in Azerbaijan. In October, 2007 the Azerbaijani government reported it thwarted a Wahhabi radical Islamic group’s plot to conduct a “large-scale, horrifying terror attack” against US and British diplomatic missions and government buildings. According to the Azerbaijani National Security Ministry, one suspect was killed and several others were detained in a weekend sweep in village outside the capital.

The Islamic group included an army lieutenant who stole 20 hand grenades and other military ammunition from his army unit for the planned attack.

According to Imam Ilgar Ibrahimoglu "it is no secret to anyone that radical Wahhabi groups have been active in Azerbaijan for several years," and that there is no indication of a weakening of that trend because of the lack of democracy, frequent human rights violations, and the authorities' repression of less radical but unregistered religious communities. Sheikh ul Islam Pasha-zade also was quoted as openly branding the congregation of the Abu-Bakr mosque as "Wahhabis" and as implicitly criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities for failing to crack down on them.

An Attack on Abu Bakr Mosque of Baku took place on August 17, 2008 when a man or men threw a grenade through a window of the Abu Bakr (Abu-Bekir) mosque, used both by Sunni and Wahhabi Muslims, during the evening prayer. Three people were killed and 13 injured.

Al-Qaeda

In 1998 after the attacks on the U.S. embassies in Dar-es-Salaam and Nairobi, as as result of the fax that was sent from Baku, the level of activity of Al-Qaeda in the country was discovered.. Following to this members of the Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya close to Al-Qaeda movement were arrested in Azerbaijan and extradicated to Cairo. An Al-Qaeda operative, Abu Atiya, was arrested in Baku and turned over to the CIA. The arrests came after security forces engaged in a search for more than a month, that finally led them to a safe house in Sumgayit, where the militants were arrested.

Amiraslan Iskenderov, the head of a Salafist gang in Azerbaijan,, received special training at al-Qaeda-connected training camps of Afghanistan and was taught how to make and use bombs and organize mass killings of people in public places, and was also assigned to recruit young girls with extremist religious views to become suicide bombers in Azerbaijan. Iskenderov’s group prepared a statement on behalf of al-Qaeda in the Caucasus, threatening the Azerbaijani government with bombings in Baku. Currently Iskanderov and his group are arrested.

Nur sect

Influence of Turkey in shaping Islam in post-Soviet Azerbaijan was due to a combination of popular Islam and Turkic nationalism promoted by the Turkish extremist religious sect, Nur.

See also

External links

References

  1. IS AZERBAIJAN BECOMING A HUB OF RADICAL ISLAM? by Arzu Geybullayeva, European Stability Initiative
  2. Azerbaijani Jews worried over increasing radical Islamists, By Amiram Barkat, Haaretz - 02.15.2006
  3. Azeri poverty fuels rise of Islam. By Natalia Antelava, BBC News, 2005
  4. Azerbaijan plot shows radicals' threat has teeth, 08 Nov 2007, Reuters
  5. Azerbaijan: Does Wahhabism Pose A Threat? August 07, 2005 By Liz Fuller
  6. IS AZERBAIJAN BECOMING A HUB OF RADICAL ISLAM? by Arzu Geybullayeva, European Stability Initiative
  7. Azerbaijan: ‘Horrifying’ terror attack thwarted. U.S. Embassy, several government structures targeted, official says. Associated Press, Oct. 2007
  8. Azerbaijan: ‘Horrifying’ terror attack thwarted. U.S. Embassy, several government structures targeted, official says. Associated Press, Oct. 2007
  9. Azerbaijan: Does Wahhabism Pose A Threat? August 07, 2005 By Liz Fuller
  10. Azerbaijan: 'Alternative Islam' Takes Several Forms, August 10, 2007, RFE/RL, By Liz Fuller and Babek Bakir
  11. United States condemns attack on the Abu Bakr Mosque in Azerbaijan’s capital, ANS press, 2008
  12. Azeri president to oversee mosque blast probe, 18 Aug 2008, Reuters, By Lada Yevgrashina
  13. U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, “US Vs. Usama Bin Laden” in Politicization of Islam in Azerbaijan, 2 May 2001, p. 5440
  14. David S. Cloud, “Long In US Sights, A Young Terrorist Builds Grim Resume On Journey to Iraq, Zarqawi Forged Ties With Al-Qaeda, Attracted Own Followers; An Amputation in Baghdad”, The Wall Street Journal, 10 February 2004
  15. AZERBAIJAN: EVALUATING THE RADICAL ISLAMIC SECURITY THREAT, by Rovshan Ismayilov 11/30/07, Eurasia Insight
  16. http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews=4587 The Two Faces of Salafism in Azerbaijan. Terrorism Focus Volume: 4 Issue: 40, December 7, 2007, By: Anar Valiyev
  17. http://www.jamestown.org/single/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews=4587 The Two Faces of Salafism in Azerbaijan. Terrorism Focus Volume: 4 Issue: 40, December 7, 2007, By: Anar Valiyev
  18. IS AZERBAIJAN BECOMING A HUB OF RADICAL ISLAM? by Arzu Geybullayeva, European Stability Initiative
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